It is interesting to note that the Scottish Enlightenment, like the Enlightenment throughout Europe, piggybacks Christianity, notably Calvin's thought and its emphasis on education and literacy, thus confirming Tom Holland's thesis in his book Dominion that the best features of modernity are just footnotes to Christianity.
That’s a very generous conclusion. A better evidenced one is that the enlightenment came about as a sometimes violent rebellion against the sanctimony of the Church
US national debt to GDP ratio was 105% at the end of WWII. Due to circumstances of the post war international economy, that had been reversed by the time of the Eisenhower and Kennedy Administrations. I agree with Niall that the current situation of 124% is both alarming but widely not understood or appreciated. It is a looming and potentially catastroohic problem for the United States.
The issue of a democratic leader convincing the people to make present sacrifices to avoid future disaster is exemplified by Themistocles who convinced Athens to invest their silver wealth into an unprecedented navy, which was how the Greeks defeated the Persians.
Podcasts? For many of us this is the preferred form of garnering opinions about a spectrum of topics and to do so in a manner that is less intrusive into everyday life's activities. Daily I download podcasts on to MP3 players that are listened to through out the day at my convenience as I accomplish the days work. This way I choose what I listen to versus what is available on radio, television, or the internet streaming services.
Thank you, but I strongly suspect, that the strength of the West is not so much the democracy, as aristocratic traditions (including the U. S. A. also). The problem with say the RF is not the lack of democracy, but the oligarchic trends. Probably, Professor Ferguson was talking the same and just have called a spade a spade. Anatole Zavernyaev.
I see a generation that is not willing to invest in children. Why would I expect that generation to feel any obligation and duty to provide a better world for future generations when many of them do not believe there will be or should be future generations? South Korea is well down this road, as is Japan and much of Europe. The USA is heading there.
Worse, the USA is giving away its future to foreigners and immigrants. What is there of value to invest in that will not be taken by strangers from somewhere else in a generation or two?
The outcome from the US behaviour is Europe will be nice but assume you are not in NATO and nuclear proliferation in Europe will expand amazingly, because if you cannot trust the US nuclear umbrella. You need your own. Given Congress’s behaviour, it’s hard not to see the genie out of the box.
It is unfortunate that the whole crux lies at his comments around 1:23:00 regarding what is crucially more important; the gossamer boogeyman of global warming or fomenting a strong and viable representative democracy through fiscal, border, and social responsibility. Now consider which US political party is apt to make those crucially hard and unpalatable policies?
I enthusiastically agree with Niall in much of his exposition, but I find his use of government's measures to combat global climate change as an example of short term sacrifice to avert a future cataclysm very troubling. There is plenty of compelling scientific opinion that the massive academic consensus that climate change is the primary threat to life on earth is flat out wrong. The hysterical predictions of climate catastrophe by a certain future time, now reached and passed without negative consequence, convincingly put the lie to claims made by climate catastrophists. I find much more compelling the arguments of cooler heads like Bjorn Lomberg and Brett Weinstein who predict that the economy wrecking anti-fossil fuel policies of Western goverments will condemn millions in the developing world to poverty and starvation. I think Professor Ferguson could have found much better examples of short term national sacrifice to avert future calamity than global climate change, such as, for example, a simple 1% or even 5% reduction in Federal departmental budgets, except for Defense, across the entire government. That would cause some much needed belt tightening by the Federal bureaucracies that already waste billions of taxpayer dollars every fiscal year. The looming catastrophe of general economic collapse under the weight of massive government debt could thus be avoided.
I haven’t watched this video yet but you might want to watch what Daniel Schmachtenberger has to say about the fact that solving one problem might exacerbate another problem. Unless I’m mistaken, this is essentially what you’re conveying, and if so, you’re exactly correct. You might also want to listen to what I’ve come up with as a comprehensive playbook to try to overcome our problems as a species. It sounds crazy but just as your observations might sound unreasonable to the untrained mind - they aren’t.
Btw no one is talking about equality of outcome. This is the new right wing think tank talking point. Anyone talking about this is working for a think tank like Neil F.
That's an issue that has been fudged historically. Republics, after all, have traditionally been counted as forms of popular government. The people are said to govern through their representatives. Two issues immediately arise: 1. to what extent do the representatives reflect the desires/will of the people in policy, and 2. what is the proportion of the people allowed to choose the representatives.
Cromwell & heirs genocided illegitimately more than 95 % of the indigenous Irish Suomi Picts. Let the Cromwell sinhogs be forgiven as they have forgiven their debtors, enemies, and victims. INRIX
divine central authority unity with substantive human rights choice for international law react to God rule over world, separate from UN government create political situations to take over world from God
Immigration - bipartisan failure - ignoramus. No mention of controlling border access as he prefers to states it is a case of legislative "immigration reform" that is needed. I wonder what the elder Ferguson would say?
Much to my surprise Niall gets around to partially answering the border question around 1:19:00 in that you don't have a country if you don't have a defensible border. However, this isn't "bipartisan" in that one party favors a defensible border and the other operates an open borders policies.
Niall Ferguson is a brilliant historian, but not a good lecturer, reading from others more and more and more is not a good lecture. But he is brilliant, so OK.
A POTUS first year in office is essentially his predecessors, in terms of financial occurrences. I'm a fan of Prof. Ferguson, but he's being disingenuous regarding his claims.
Love the fact that we can sit at home and follow these lectures
no lecture hall can fit 23thousand that this video already has views.
Solid principles.
This curriculum must be brought to our public schools....
It's all available for the editing and presentation, who's gonna step up?
It is interesting to note that the Scottish Enlightenment, like the Enlightenment throughout Europe, piggybacks Christianity, notably Calvin's thought and its emphasis on education and literacy, thus confirming Tom Holland's thesis in his book Dominion that the best features of modernity are just footnotes to Christianity.
That’s a very generous conclusion. A better evidenced one is that the enlightenment came about as a sometimes violent rebellion against the sanctimony of the Church
Fantastic presentation!
US national debt to GDP ratio was 105% at the end of WWII. Due to circumstances of the post war international economy, that had been reversed by the time of the Eisenhower and Kennedy Administrations.
I agree with Niall that the current situation of 124% is both alarming but widely not understood or appreciated. It is a looming and potentially catastroohic problem for the United States.
The issue of a democratic leader convincing the people to make present sacrifices to avoid future disaster is exemplified by Themistocles who convinced Athens to invest their silver wealth into an unprecedented navy, which was how the Greeks defeated the Persians.
Podcasts? For many of us this is the preferred form of garnering opinions about a spectrum of topics and to do so in a manner that is less intrusive into everyday life's activities. Daily I download podcasts on to MP3 players that are listened to through out the day at my convenience as I accomplish the days work. This way I choose what I listen to versus what is available on radio, television, or the internet streaming services.
Niall always at his best when he talks without script in hand:)
Thanks for Uploading.
Very good.
Note to self: don't hold a clicky plastic cup of water near my microphone when I lecture.
Brilliant 🎉
With out fear and favour
Do you count Canada among the fallen democracies?
Nice to be in the same boat different time
Nial whatever you do you cannot top the pity of war
Thank you, but I strongly suspect, that the strength of the West is not so much the democracy, as aristocratic traditions (including the U. S. A. also). The problem with say the RF is not the lack of democracy, but the oligarchic trends. Probably, Professor Ferguson was talking the same and just have called a spade a spade.
Anatole Zavernyaev.
I see a generation that is not willing to invest in children. Why would I expect that generation to feel any obligation and duty to provide a better world for future generations when many of them do not believe there will be or should be future generations? South Korea is well down this road, as is Japan and much of Europe. The USA is heading there.
Worse, the USA is giving away its future to foreigners and immigrants. What is there of value to invest in that will not be taken by strangers from somewhere else in a generation or two?
The outcome from the US behaviour is Europe will be nice but assume you are not in NATO and nuclear proliferation in Europe will expand amazingly, because if you cannot trust the US nuclear umbrella. You need your own. Given Congress’s behaviour, it’s hard not to see the genie out of the box.
One tech breakthrough like cheap safe fusion would wipe out any thought of the national debt.
Starts at about 5.00.
Rule of law is the ultimate
It is unfortunate that the whole crux lies at his comments around 1:23:00 regarding what is crucially more important; the gossamer boogeyman of global warming or fomenting a strong and viable representative democracy through fiscal, border, and social responsibility. Now consider which US political party is apt to make those crucially hard and unpalatable policies?
I enthusiastically agree with Niall in much of his exposition, but I find his use of government's measures to combat global climate change as an example of
short term sacrifice to avert a future cataclysm very troubling. There is plenty of compelling scientific opinion that the massive academic consensus that climate change is the primary threat to life on earth is flat out wrong. The hysterical predictions of climate catastrophe by a certain future time, now reached and passed without negative consequence, convincingly put the lie to claims made by climate catastrophists. I find much more compelling the arguments of cooler heads like Bjorn Lomberg and Brett Weinstein who predict that the economy wrecking anti-fossil fuel policies of Western goverments will condemn millions in the developing world to poverty and starvation. I think Professor Ferguson could have found much better examples of short term national sacrifice to avert future calamity than global climate change, such as, for example, a simple 1% or even 5% reduction in Federal departmental budgets, except for Defense, across the entire government. That would cause some much needed belt tightening by the Federal bureaucracies that already waste billions of taxpayer dollars every fiscal year. The looming catastrophe of general economic collapse under the weight of massive government debt could thus be avoided.
I haven’t watched this video yet but you might want to watch what Daniel Schmachtenberger has to say about the fact that solving one problem might exacerbate another problem. Unless I’m mistaken, this is essentially what you’re conveying, and if so, you’re exactly correct. You might also want to listen to what I’ve come up with as a comprehensive playbook to try to overcome our problems as a species. It sounds crazy but just as your observations might sound unreasonable to the untrained mind - they aren’t.
Loved that ass zoom on 59:44
Btw no one is talking about equality of outcome. This is the new right wing think tank talking point. Anyone talking about this is working for a think tank like Neil F.
Republics are not democracies, by definition.
28:28
That's an issue that has been fudged historically. Republics, after all, have traditionally been counted as forms of popular government. The people are said to govern through their representatives. Two issues immediately arise: 1. to what extent do the representatives reflect the desires/will of the people in policy, and 2. what is the proportion of the people allowed to choose the representatives.
3 min intro ?
⭐
Lincoln and grant the greatest
Cromwell & heirs genocided illegitimately more than 95 % of the indigenous Irish Suomi Picts.
Let the Cromwell sinhogs be forgiven as they have forgiven their debtors, enemies, and victims. INRIX
Uk always has followed a policy of divide and rule they
divine central authority unity with substantive human rights choice for international law react to God rule over world, separate from UN government create political situations to take over world from God
They tried it with America but succeedet with India
Too shouty presentation. Thanks anyhow.
Immigration - bipartisan failure - ignoramus. No mention of controlling border access as he prefers to states it is a case of legislative "immigration reform" that is needed. I wonder what the elder Ferguson would say?
Much to my surprise Niall gets around to partially answering the border question around 1:19:00 in that you don't have a country if you don't have a defensible border. However, this isn't "bipartisan" in that one party favors a defensible border and the other operates an open borders policies.
Niall Ferguson is a brilliant historian, but not a good lecturer, reading from others more and more and more is not a good lecture. But he is brilliant, so OK.
A POTUS first year in office is essentially his predecessors, in terms of financial occurrences. I'm a fan of Prof. Ferguson, but he's being disingenuous regarding his claims.